


The Nostalgic Way

by orphan_account



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Fun, Gavin Reed Redemption, Gen, You and the Boys, deviant, just some good vibes, sleeovers, we gotta have some of that fun stuff you know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-07-12 04:10:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15987338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Alternatively titled: “Connor’s First Ever Sleepover” cause why the heck not?





	The Nostalgic Way

**Author's Note:**

> Just a small thing I typed up on my phone.
> 
> Some pure fun with the boys and you!

Hank’s words still rung clearly in your head from earlier that day. “Keep him, hell, take him off my hands forever.” It was a joke, obviously, in reference to the android formerly sent by Cyberlife, Connor.

He sat opposite you on the spare mattress you had prepared for him, despite the hesitations due to the lack of sleep needed. Legs crossed and no longer in such formal working attire, he sported a casual t shirt and shorts, both of which his database had informed him were appropriate “sleeping wear”.

You giggled like a little school girl, clapping your hands lightly. “So, this is your first sleep over huh?” You bemused, eager to provide only the best first experience possible.

“That would be correct.” Connor agreed, glancing at your position in front of him. “May I ask of the importance to this activity?”

You snorted at his tone of language, flopping down and allowing the mattress to wrap you in comfort. “It’s supposed to be fun. You know, an activity friends do because they like hanging out with each other.” You hoped your clarity were obvious.

“I see.” Connor said, confirming that he had indeed found your reasoning logical. “What do you do in particular during these sleep overs?” So many questions, so little time, you had begun to see why Hank was so ready in allowing Connor to stay for the night.

“Well,” You began, “Usually you stay up really late eating candy and watching movies, or videos on the internet. Sometimes you play board games for fun and sit in a circle and tell each other secrets.” You gasped, as a sudden idea popped into your head, “Do you wanna share anything juicy?”

The LED on Connor’s temple flickered yellow, an indication that he struggled to understand what you were implying, his words only confirming the confusion. “How can a sentence be juicy?”

You grinned and crawled closer to his body, now siting directly in front of him. “Not literally, I mean information that could be so unexpected it’s shocking.” You attempted at explaining, trying to figure out the best way to demonstrate what you meant.

“I do not believe I have anything juicy then.” The android decided, blinking as he stared, “Do you?”

You laughed, shaking your head. You hadn’t thought this plan through that well, and currently, your hurried attempts at showing Connor a part of your childhood was proving troublesome. “Nah, I don’t know, I guess this sleepover isn’t the most fun for your first.”

Connor gave you a smile for reassurance, “I find that spending this time with you is quite enjoyable, although the idea of a sleepover being quite outdated with most children sharing time through technological means, I’ve enjoyed sharing an experience of your time.” His comment made you feel old, and suddenly you understood Hank just that little bit more.

You were only in your 30s for crying out loud, but technology really had run its course effectively, abolishing all old traditions you once believed to be the peak of your lifetime. “God I have no idea what to do now.” The time was only 12:30 am, the two of you both knew that waking up was going to be a challenge for you. It was disregarded, you’d deal with that problem when it actually came upon you.

“Well,” Connor offered, attempting to become helpful in anyway possible, “What happens after the sleeping part, albeit you may not sleep as per sleepover tradition.”

You stopped to think, smiling at old memories that began to flood your sleep deprived mind. It wasn’t even that late technically. “I used to go out with my friends.” There was a soft smile on your face, glossed over with the nurturing of happy times, “We’d go to the movies or drive to the beach, and we’d all laugh and hang out. Our guy friends would rock up with booze they’d managed to sneak out and we’d drink while just being annoying nuisances.” You fiddled with the hem of your clothes, picking at loose threads.

“I’m sure that would be fun to try...” Connor drones out, “if we were able to access such facilities.” His statement made your stomach drop. Of course over the years in development, Detroit’s city had to make large sacrifices in order for the greater good of technology to become beneficial. A majority of these changes had included the closing of most traditional stores and entertainment quarters. Highways and old roads were closed due to automated vehicles struggling to drive along them and eventually new highways were cast for them. While the remainder of the city was improved, parts were left behind. The good parts.

You brought your knees to your chest, picking your phone up to absentmindedly swipe through it, not really paying attention to whatever the little screen displayed. Connor had sensed your sudden mood drop, feeling bad for bringing up a bittersweet point to your past.

You both sat silently with only the occasional tap from your nail hitting your glass screen. The majority of your generation as well as the newer ones had out grown old social media, rendering then useless and left to close down. Most children and younger citizens used the newer brands, or the rare older brands that managed to keep up and adapt as required. You had gotten rid of everything the second they updated. You weren’t interested in seeing android add ons and custom codes, it felt wrong regardless.

The vibration of your phone caught you off guard however as a message popped up in your notification feed. It confused you, no one would or even should have been up this late to message you: you knew better than to think that on a regular basis, however, your fatigue had gotten the best of you by now.

12:40 Gav: yo u wake?

You blinked twice, stupidly wondering why Gavin Reed would have been messaging you of all people. Connor’s LED flickered yellow as he read over your shoulder.

“Detective Reed and you have a stable relationship?” He questioned, causing your head to tilt up in surprise.

“What? Oh, yeah.” You rubbed a hand down your face tiredly, “We went to school together and stuff, it’s always nice to chat with a fellow millennial.”

“I believe that may be the incorrect generation that you associate-“ you waved a hand.

“Yeah I know, I know. That stuff is confusing... Gen Z? Millennial? All I know is that Gavin and I are one or the other and Hank is the latter.” Your phone buzzed as an attempt to gain your attention once more.

12:44 Gav: It said u read my txt  
12:44 Gav: u busy?

You rolled your eyes before resting your fingers on the digital keyboard, ready to rant to the detective in your half conscious state about how you really weren’t interested in spending the next four hours chatting. You paused however, before being about to hit the obnoxious send button that glared at you in a menacing way. Through your loopy state, you raised your eyes slowly to meet gaze with a quizzical Connor.

The next couple minutes were spent listening to the clicking effects your phone emitted, a lower clack indicating you had erased your message and higher ticks notifying the android before you that you had rewritten your original message. Another sound called out as you hit the send button and the text had delivered, seemingly providing a sense of satisfaction.

“You seem to feel confident about something.” Connor observed, watching as you grinned giddily at him from where you were situated. You nodded as you stood up, readjusting your clothes to fit you more comfortably before diving into ate spare bed. You pulled your friend quickly along, laughing as he crashed beside you in an awkward pile. Connor turned to lie on his side, mimicking your movements as you placed your hands under your head.

“Oh trust me, this sleepover is gonna be the best one ever.” You smiled with a sudden confidence, clapping your hands twice. The warm lights in your bedroom had dimmed to black instantly, engulfing the two of you in darkness with only the dim flicker of Connor’s LED providing any light. You couldn’t see anything apart from that, but you knew that Connor’s sight had merely switched to night vision, causing you to try your best to look him the eye and estimate roughly where he was lying.

You could sense his body beside you, the two of you closely packed. It was peaceful, you could feel your eyes growing heavy with every breath, instinctively curling into the android’s chest as you listed to his synthetic heartbeat, beating perfectly in time to a nonexistent rhythm. It surprised you that you couldn’t hear the whirring of parts from within, something you had automatically assumed you would have heard if you pressed your ear against him. You felt him wrap you in a hug hesitantly, hands tracing light patterns in a comforting way. You let him do his thing, ignoring the light notification your phone had proclaimed.

“You have received a message from Detective Reed, would you like me to read it?” He offered, already connecting to your phone remotely on the off chance you had accepted his proposal. You have a soft nod, yawning as you pushed yourself to remain conscious for the remainder of the text. “Sent at 12:53 am from ‘Gav’. Why? And yes... once you pass the toll booths it’s all free, also sure, no promises tho.” You could almost feel Connor raise a questioning brow. “Would you like to respond?”

You shook your head lightly as Connor moved on, already trying to puzzle together what the conversation was about. He didn’t want to invade your privacy, respecting the fact that despite being able to simply review your own sent messages, it would not have been courteous to do so. He decided that asking would be more appropriate. “What was Detective Reed referring to in his message?”

He didn’t get an answer however, you were already fast asleep, leaving him to count down the number of hours until you woke up and would be able to answer for yourself.

———————————————————

Connor had never experienced such thrill in his life before. The mystery of the night before still pestering his mind, leaving him to question what you had planned and theorise what you had spoken to Gavin about.

Since the end of the revolution, most people had become kinder to androids, empathising with them after the numerous demonstrations they had provided with not a single civilian casualty. Unfortunately there were the stragglers, those who despised androids for whatever reason, personal or for something else and this seemed to apply to the detective in question definitely.

Connor was a good android, trying to be the bigger person to the best of his abilities. He found that the taunts, jabs and jeers had significantly lessened but not ceased completely. He found that you had often stuck around to mediate potential arguments and were thankful for that. Progress was progress regardless, once day perhaps would they be great friends.

You had forced your eyes awake at the striking time of 8:30, despite falling asleep closer to 1 that morning. You yawned, stretching and sitting up, readjusting your body to feel the long needed cracking of your joints. You turned your head to see Connor active, smiling as you ruffled his hair with your fingers. “Morning, did you sleep? More or less go into rest mode?” You asked, taking pride in the fact that you knew basic android terminology.

“I entered rest mode momentarily after you lost consciousness. How are you feeling?” He asked in return, watching you scoop up your phone to read the message he had previously read out. You chuckled to yourself before typing back a quick response, swiping the screens way almost instantly in order to scroll through your never ending list of contacts. Half of them were people you had added to be polite, the rest were old friends and family you barely contacted and felt guilty for not doing so. There was only a small percentage of the people on your phone that you messaged frequently.

You passed the A’s and headed straight to the G’s, making you convince Connor that you were in search for Gavin’s number. But you passed his name too, continuing to search for another person in the H section. You smiled triumphantly as you dialled Hank, a tap of your phone putting the call on loud speaker as you began to shuffle around your room to gather clothes and a bag for the day.

The ringing of the phone echoed, Connor eyeing the device as you ducked behind your bedroom door to quickly throw on some more casual clothes. Your phone rang for a steady amount of time, only being answered after the 18th ring.

“The fuck (y/n)?” Hank’s gruff voice croaked out, clearly unimpressed and tired.

“Wakey wakey sleepy head, did Concon and I disturb your beauty sleep?” You teased, reappearing from your spot. You dumped your sleepwear into your bed as you motioned for Connor to change into his spare clothes that he had brought along. Hank sighed.

“What do you want?” You clapped your hands cheerfully as you dug around your work desk quickly, pulling a bag out from underneath as Connor began to remove his shirt. You’re eyes trailed his torso in distraction, eyeing the way his body had been designed. You caught sight of the little circle pad in the centre of his chest that concealed his thirium pump, turning away quickly as you spotted his head poke through the t shirt he slipped on. “(Y/n)?”

You’re gaze was short lived as you felt your face heat up, returning your attention to your work partner’s voice. “Uh yeah, did Gav text you?” You asked, hoping that your job at explanation would be easier.

“Yeah... you meant that for today?” You rolled your eyes.

“Yes of course, we’ll meet in like...10.” Your eyes caught sight of Connor changing his shorts for some more comfortable jeans. You shook your head as an attempt to stay focused, directing him to leave his old clothes in the wash basket to be cleaned. He complied understandingly.

“10? Jesus Christ you’re fast... I still gotta change... take a shit...”

“I do not need to know your morning routine.”

“Well you get the point.” Hank persisted, “Fuck, what time did you discuss with Gavin?” He asked, pausing after a brief moment. You frowned in thought, quickly scrolling through your texts.

“Oh I said in around about twenty minutes.”

“And how long ago did you send him that?”

“... 20 minutes ago.”

“Jesus fuck, may as well invite the entire fucking neighbourhood and the queen of England while you’re at it and have a party in my living room.” Hank sighed as you laughed lightly. “He’s here, I gotta deal with this shit - you better hurry your ass up.” He warned.

“Chill, we’ll be over soon.” You promised, motioning for Connor to begin to make his way to the front door. You bid Hank goodbye momentarily afterwards, smiling your head at the exchange in conversation.

It had taken a while for Gavin to warm up to Hank. A really long time, you had been there since the beginning. It was nice to see the two get along so well, which had also inspired a small hope to blossom inside you, a hope that would allow Connor and Gavin to both get along just as well. Perhaps after today’s events that may just change.

You grabbed your house keys with a swift swipe at your desk, shutting your bedroom door and meeting Connor outside your front door, locking it and leading him to the footpath. “Shall I call a taxi?” He asked, already ready to do so. You shook your head, dragging him behind you and the two of you set off to Hank’s house by foot.

“Nah, you see Con, when I had sleepovers, we didn’t have drivers licenses or sustainable jobs to pay for public transports. We would all walk to this one friend we all had who was older than us cause they were held back a couple years - we carpooled.” Your explanation brought anticipation and eagerness, both of which caught interest in the Android beside you.

You both turned at the crossing, averting traffic and continuing your way down the street. You passed a couple blocks before turning left this time, eyeing the cracks in the floor as you tried to avoid stepping on them, an imaginary game you would once play in your younger years.

Connor soon followed in pursuit, not questioning the activity you both participated in and instead enjoying the moment for what it was. You laughed, and your laugh registered in his audio sensors as something he wouldn’t mind hearing again. He wondered how other people laughed afterwards, determined to make it his mission to listen to all the different kinds of baffled snorts and giggles he could.

The game of avoiding lines was soon brought to a conclusion when you walked up the driveway of Hank’s house. You stepped up to his front door and rang the buzzer, Connor behind you, analysing his surroundings.

You remained unfazed when Gavin had opened the door, however the same couldn’t have been said for Connor, who quirked an eyebrow up in question.

“It’s the metal tin can and the next Indiana Jones.” He said bemused as you rolled your eyes, playfully pushing past him and entering the house. Connor followed quickly, deciding to ignore the comment that was aimed at him.

“Oh shut up Gav.” You scolded, arms folding in distaste, “I’m just feeling a little rebellious, this adventure isn’t going to be overexerted. And remember what I said about being nice.” You reminded him, looking between the only two present males.

“Sure.” Gavin snorted, “I ain’t apologising though.” You tightened the bag strap over your shoulder. At least Gavin was somewhat decent today.

“Where is Hank?” Connor piped up, attempting to be as civil as possible.

“In his room getting his drivers license, he’s apparently not letting me drive.” Gavin replied, biting back the urge to spit out something derogatory.

“Gavin, you suck at driving.” Hank’s voice brought the attention of the three of you towards him, patting his St Bernard, Sumo on the head as he passed. “Be good Sumo, we’ll be back later tonight.” The dog barked contently as he made his way over to his food bowl, seemingly ok way being left unattended.

“I’m still not exactly sure what our goal for today is, may now be a good time to inform me of your plan and secretive messages with Detective Reed last night?” Connor asked.  
  
“Con, hun, it’s all part of the sleepover experience.” You pat him on the arm.

“And don’t go calling me Detective.” Gavin spat, a poor attempt at reaching friendly terms. “Just call me Gavin... it’s weird when it’s not at work... especially from a plastic doll that is supposed to take orders.”

Everyone could see the attempt at being friendly, covered by the use of harsh words and name calling. Connor chose to be friendly in return. “Thank you, Gavin. I shall keep that in mind for future reference.”

The small group of four now exited Hank’s home, making their way to a car that was parked on the street in a skewed position. Connor scanned the vehicle out of instinct. “Your 2018 MINI Convertible Cooper is parked rather sloppily, but, it looks nice. I like the colour.” Connor’s remark caused Gavin to give you a shit eating grin.

“How’s that for nostalgic (y/n)?” He challenged, “It may be hella old but the robot has good taste.” You rolled your eyes and pulled at the car door’s latch, popping the door open and stepping aside for Connor. You watched as Gavin begrudgingly took the front passenger seat as he had called shotgun, Hank sitting behind the wheel. You allowed yourself inside the car, surprised to find it perfectly clean and well maintained. Something uncharacteristic if Gavin You shut the door behind you as the engine roared to life.

“Do all millennials and generation x people prefer manual cars or is it just the three of you?” He noted, turning to eye Hank through the rear view mirror.

“Manual? This baby is automatic.” Gavin snorted, feet propped on the dashboard as the car pulled into the street. You all fastened your seatbelts instinctively.

“He means as in non autonomous.” You explain, “Since this car doesn’t drive itself.” You turn to face Connor. “But no, most people from our generations like the more fancy stuff. We’re using Gav’s car here for the nostalgia - remember what I said about sleepovers?” You promted, allowing Connor to revisit the conversation from that night.

“You said that following the sleeping stages of a sleepover, you carpool in a car and go driving to places such as the movies and the beach.” You could see his eyes light up in excitement as he pieced the puzzle together. “Are you to say that we are currently carpooling in an outdated car as a form of nostalgia and sleepover ritual?”

“Bingo, took ya long enough son.” Hank grinned, readjusting the side mirror.

“But... where is our location? After Detroit was remodelled, the old highways and entertainment quarters went out of business. There is simply no other areas that would resonate with the three of you and create nostalgia.”

Gavin clicked his tongue before lowering his feet from the dashboard, turning around to look behind him. “That’s where you’re wrong mate.” Gavin’s words clearly confused Connor.

“Is that what you were discussing with Gavin last night?” He asked you. You leaned forward and pressed a button beside Hank, allowing all the windows in the car to roll down simultaneously.

“Yup.” You popped the p.

“And you won’t tell me where it is because it’s a surprise.”

“Correct.”

“And this location is going to be restricted.”

“Also correct - you’re getting good at this guessing game.”

“Did you abuse your position at the DPD to get a warrant to this surprise location?”  
  
“So what if I did?”

“Did you?”

“Nah, Gavin did.”

Connor went silent. “When will we be there?” It was Hank’s and Gavin who both answered knowingly to Connor’s questions.

“When we get there, you’ll know it.”

———————————————————

The car had been in motion for two hours by the time Connor realised how quickly time passed. Everyone had been rather happy, chatting away like they were all the best of friends, even Gavin going as far as to question the android to keep him engaged.

“Ok but Vine was good, wish they brought it back, Vine 2 was just not a thing that could ever be comparable.” Gavin pointed out. Hank had snorted in response, almost dubious of the detective.

“Vine was a load of trash, the memes were the only good thing that came from it.” Connor tilted his head in confusion at the references overheard. His background software was running searches, filling him in on the parts of culture he simply wasn’t alive for.

“You must have no idea what we’re on about.” You said, turning to Connor eventually. He shrugged his shoulders, contemplating how to respond, when Gavin cut in before he was given the chance.

“Shit we’re already passing the toll gates.” He sat up straight in his chair, looking out the window to eye the small booths, empty and dark and all unkept. They appeared abandoned, the boom gates lowered and the offices closed, they had been replaced by automated toll devices years ago, before the new highways rendered the area useless.

It was now that Connor noted they were in a deserted location, the roads bare and empty for no one but yourselves. It provided an odd sense of freedom, something he found quite thrilling.

“I thought we weren’t mean to get here for another hour.” You questioned, watching as Gavin stuck a hand out of his window. He leaned forward, half his body protruding as he pushed the barrier up, quickly ducking inside as Hank slammed on the accelerator, driving past as the gate came crashing back down.

“We weren’t, but I think the traffic was just on our side.” Hank shrugged, flicking the car into cruise control. Connor frowned, confused further by their purpose in such rural area.

“Here?” Connor echoed, trying to gain an idea for what “here” had meant. They weren’t really anywhere special, just driving relatively slowly for an abandoned highway. The road wasn’t as clean as the others. Erosion and weathering taking a toll on the concrete, an almost dust like track before them.

Before Connor knew it, you had unbuckled his seat belt and yours as well, jumping up into your seat to cross your legs. You didn’t answer his questions, instead poking a hand out of the window beside you to feel the cool air rush against your palm. Gavin grinned as he flipped the sun visor upright.

“What songs do you wanna listen to? Got all those nice 2015 hits.” He offered, pulling stacks of CDs and DVDs out from pouches. The visor was returned to its normal state as he handed you the collection of albums to skim through.

“Didn’t take you as a Katy Perry fan.” You said, pulling out a cover to one of the musician’s albums. Gavin shrugged.

“I have a variety, take your pick.”

You continued to go through them all, noting some of the artists you recognised. Taylor Swift, 5 Seconds of Summer, Ed Sheehan, you only laughed out loud once you found Justin Bieber track.

“Oh god that fuck boy was just trouble from the beginning.” Hank stole a glance as you leaned over to pop the disc in the player. It didn’t take long for the car to be filled with the instrumental of “Baby” and for a young Justin Beiber’s prepubescent voice to hit your ears.

Connor had scanned the song by then, like a walking Shazam app, searching the lyrics in odd fascination, listening to how the three of you began belting out the lyrics.

He noted the ironic use of your voices through the duration of the chorus, each of you purposefully trying to screech the words as terribly as possible. If Connor’s audio processors couldn’t adjust the volume, he would have experienced what was known back then as ear rape. That term had other names now.

The song ended as soon as it started, but not before you all took it in turns to rap a solo, cheering as you chanted the words quickly, almost beyond comprehension. The disc was removed and put away, Connor even more confused than before.

“Was the purpose to sing that song off key?” He asked.

“It was a terrible song back then.” Hank spoke over the loud wind’s echos. “We do it to make fun of the song.” Gavin snatched the stack of CDs from you.

“I don’t care if you like it or not, I need some Ed Sheeran right now.” Hank groaned as you smiled unaffectedly. It didn’t bother you as too what music you listened to. A blue disc was played, Gavin fiddling with a dial to change the track number. He stopped at the second change.

The music blasted through the speakers within the car doors, filling everyone’s ears as Hank groaned. You smiled, watching as he continued to drive, Gavin deciding to turn to face Connor and you in the back.

Castle on the hill began playing to the open air as the car’s roof began to recline, the wind capturing everyone’s hair in a frenzy as your locks danced behind you.

You cheered as the rush of adrenaline caught up, laughing as Gavin’s stupid grin grew larger. Connor’s LED flickered slightly.

“Is this what you wanted to show me?!” He yelled out, trying to compete with the wind.

“YEAH!” You laughed, leaning back into your seat comfortably. Connor smiled as you leaned over to ruffle Gavin’s hair, a habit he was trying decipher. “ISN’T THIS GREAT?” Without a car roof, communication became slightly harder to understand.

You turned to eye Hank and mouth him a small thank you in appreciation, doing the same for Gavin just as discreetly. While Connor was still confused as to how driving on a highway while listening to music would be something amazing or fulfilling sleepover requirements, he’d be lying if he said he didn’t have any fun.

Just the laughing and talking and singing ridiculous songs together was far more enjoyable than anything else Connor had experienced. He took a pause to contemplate his new thoughts. Surprised to find that he longed to go on random road trips for future references. You laughed as Connor began reciting the words he’d searched up.

Soon enough, the entire tiny car was fill with the four of you singing and bopping and nothing more. A sound and experience Connor had already declared his most favourable. The car continued to drive as the music continued to play, it was nice, spending this time with friends in a way that allowed Connor to experience a part of your childhood, a part he never got.

Now he understood what the three of you had meant by “knowing when we get there”, so thrilled with such adventure that what could only be described as a type of adrenaline pumped through his artificial veins. If one thing was for sure, sleepovers were now extra special, and he couldn’t wait for the next one he’d have with you.

It was a special millennial, generation Z, sort of thing.


End file.
